Food holder apparatus and method

ABSTRACT

An apparatus for handling and consuming a food product that is frequently hand-held during consumption. The apparatus is particularly, but not exclusively, useful for wrapped or rolled food products. The holder for a food product includes a container connected to a flexible belt with a fastening mechanism. A food product can be placed into the container. The belt can be wrapped around the food product contained within the container, with the belt wrapping around the outside of the container. The belt can then be fastened to the outside of the container, securing the food product within the apparatus.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)

The present application is a continuation in part of and claims thepriority of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 29/781,071 titled “FOODHOLDER”, filed on Apr. 28, 2021.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to devices that improve the holding, handling,consumption and assembly of food products, particularly, wrapped orrolled food products.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Wrapped or rolled food products can be difficult to hold, handle andconsume. A wrap can lose its shape and unravel from the sides or bottom.Handling and consumption can be messy due to dripping, unravelling andcontents falling out. Wraps must be held continuously. Putting a wrapdown will result in the food product unravelling.

Children in particular, but not exclusively, are prone to difficultieswith handling and consuming wraps. They do not have the patience ordexterity to hold the wrap continuously, frequently putting it down.They play with their food causing the wrap to unravel even more. If thewrap is encased in aluminum foil or similar, they do not have thedexterity to properly roll down the foil while leaving it securelywrapped around the food.

Furthermore, wrapped food products are difficult to assemble. Creating aproper wrap requires knowledge of specific techniques, dexterity, andexperience. Some wrap or flatbread types are not tacky enough tomaintain their hold and unravel quickly. The margin of error forcreating a secure wrap is small, and even well-made wraps will still besubject to the previously mentioned difficulties.

For the reasons above, a product that addresses one or more of thesedifficulties is desirable.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention discloses an apparatus for assembling, handling,and consuming a wrapped food item. The general aspects of thisapparatus, in at least one embodiment, are a container, a belt and afastening mechanism. A wrap food item is placed into the container. Thebelt is wrapped around the food item and secured onto the other side ofthe container. When secured around a wrap, the apparatus helps the wrapmaintain its shape and prevent the wrap from unravelling. The apparatusacts as a harness for the food item, keeping the food item intact whileexposing the food item for consumption. The apparatus can be flexibleand adjustable to accommodate different sizes of wraps.

An object of this invention is to provide a food holder that secures thewrapped food product, keeps the wrap in its shape, allows the wrap to beput down and picked up repeatedly, and prevents the wrap fromunraveling. Another object of this invention is that it can beadjustable to accommodate various wrap sizes, lengths andcircumferences. Still another object of this invention is to facilitatethe creation of a wrapped food item.

This invention, in at least one embodiment, is particularly, but notexclusively, useful for wrapped or rolled food products. Embodimentsdescribed herein are directed to an apparatus that improves theassembly, handling, and consumption of a wrap food product. A wrapsandwich, burrito or similar is a food product with an edible wrap thatis used to envelope and contain various fillings. Typically, the wrap isfolded or rolled around the fillings, creating a generally cylindricalshape. It is also possible to close or contain the ends of a wrap;closing an end can be done on one end, both ends, or neither end.Examples of wraps include, but are not limited to, tortilla wraps,burritos, flatbreads, rice paper wraps, lettuce wraps, sandwich wraps,hot dogs, etc.—any edible food item with shape and material that can befolded around other fillings. Wraps can be made in many different sizes,lengths and circumferences. For clarity and convenience, the disclosuremay occasionally refer to a wrap or burrito in examples. However, thisdisclosure is not limited to wraps that are burritos, nor is it limitedto wraps in general and can apply to other food products.

Different embodiments of the apparatus may use different materials andcombinations of materials to make the apparatus and the componentsthereof described in the Figures and below description. Those materialsmay include, but are not limited to, food grade silicone or plastics.Those materials may have different degrees of elasticity. Theembodiments of the apparatus may also include other properties such asbeing dishwasher-safe, microwave-safe and oven-safe.

It is contemplated and within the scope of this disclosure thatdifferent embodiments of the apparatus may rearrange or reposition thedifferent features or components. For example, the position and anglethat the belt connects to the container can be changed. In oneembodiment, the container can be repositioned in relation to the band sothat the container is in the middle of the band, resulting in two bandsor band portions emerging from either side of the container and thefastening mechanism implemented on the bands instead of the container.This embodiment and other embodiments can also fulfill the objects,aspects and operations of this invention and are considered to pertainto this invention.

The scale, size, thickness and proportions of the apparatus may varydepending on the embodiment. Various parts or features of the apparatuscan have their topology changed, stretched or deformed. In oneembodiment, the container is described as a partial cup portion. Howeverin other embodiments, the container can be in any shape or configurationthat enables the function of receiving a food item, for example talleror shorter, cylindrical or another shape, etc.. In another example, thebottom surface of the container can be smaller, larger, or form adifferent shape. These different embodiments are considered to pertainto this invention.

One or more of the embodiments of the present invention allow for easierassembly of wraps by compensating for some of the difficulties inensuring a secure wrapped or rolled tortilla. The method comprisesplacing the wrapped food item into the apparatus, securing the food inthe container with the belt portion. The tension applied by theapparatus to the wrap thereby reduces the chance of the wrap unravelingand increases the margin of error in the wrapping technique. Thedimensions of the apparatus and the adjustability and flexibility of thebelt portion is selected so that the wrapped food item is held togethersecurely when placed in the food holder device.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The elements in the figures are not necessarily to scale, emphasisinstead being placed upon illustrating the principles and definingfeatures and functionality of the present invention.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a food holder in accordance with anembodiment of the present invention, in a rolled state wrapped around abottom of a rolled tortilla of a wrap-sandwich, burrito, or other fooditem, with a filling shown within the rolled tortilla;

FIG. 2 is a top, front, and right side perspective view of the foodholder of FIG. 1, in an unrolled, flat state;

FIG. 3 is a bottom, rear, and left side perspective view of the foodholder of FIG. 1, in the unrolled, flat state;

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the food holder of FIG. 1 in the unrolled,flat state;

FIG. 5 is a bottom plan view of the food holder of FIG. 1 in theunrolled, flat state;

FIG. 6 is a rear elevational view of the food holder of FIG. 1 in theunrolled, flat state;

FIG. 7 is a front elevational view of the food holder of FIG. 1 in theunrolled, flat state;

FIG. 8 is a left side elevational view of the food holder of FIG. 1 inthe unrolled, flat state; and

FIG. 9 is a right side elevational view of the food holder of FIG. 1 inthe unrolled, flat state.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the following detailed description, reference is made to theaccompanying drawings, which form a part hereof, and in which is shownby way of illustration specific example embodiments. The followingdetailed description, therefore, is not to be taken in a limiting sense.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a food holder 1 in accordance with anembodiment of the present invention, in a rolled state wrapped around abottom of a rolled tortilla 102 of a burrito 100, with a filling 104shown within the rolled tortilla 102. While a burrito may be describedas being shown in FIG. 1, one or more embodiments of the presentinvention apply to any wrap, tortilla or flatbread type rolled food.

FIG. 2 is a top, front, and right side perspective view of the foodholder 1 of FIG. 1, in an unrolled, flat state. FIG. 3 is a bottom,rear, and left side perspective view of the food holder of FIG. 1, inthe unrolled, flat state. FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the food holder 1of FIG. 1 in the unrolled, flat state. FIG. 5 is a bottom plan view ofthe food holder 1 of FIG. 1 in the unrolled, flat state. FIG. 6 is arear elevational view of the food holder 1 of FIG. 1 in the unrolled,flat state. FIG. 7 is a front elevational view of the food holder 1 ofFIG. 1 in the unrolled, flat state. FIG. 8 is a left side elevationalview of the food holder 1 of FIG. 1 in the unrolled, flat state. FIG. 9is a right side elevational view of the food holder 1 of FIG. 1 in theunrolled, flat state.

Referring to FIGS. 1-9, the food holder 1 includes a container 2 and abelt portion 4. The container portion 2 includes a button of flange 2 b,attached by a stem 2 c to an outward curved or convex surface 2 a asshown, for example, in FIG. 2. The container portion 2 further includesa bottom surface 2 d as shown in FIG. 2. The container portion furtherincludes an inward curved or concave surface 2 f as shown in FIG. 4.

Referring to FIG. 3, FIG. 5 and FIG. 8, these are perspective views ofthe interior of the food holder. The interior of container 2 is shown inthese figures as a partial-cup portion being generally cylindrical,inward curved or concave surface with a bottom support. The interior ofcontainer 2 is where the bottom of a burrito or wrap would be placed inoperation of the apparatus. The container 2 may be referred to indifferent embodiments as a partial-cup portion, harness, receptacle orcavity.

Referring to FIG. 2, FIG. 4, FIG. 6, FIG. 7 and FIG. 9, these areperspective views of the exterior of the food holder. The exterior ofcontainer 2 is shown in these figures as an outward curved or convexsurface.

The belt portion 4 includes a belt or strap 6 with a plurality ofopenings 8 shown in FIG. 2. The plurality of openings may includeopenings 8 a, 8 b, 8 c, 8 d, 8 e, and 8 f shown in FIG. 2. The foodholder is adjustable and can accommodate various shapes, dimensions andcircumferences of food items. As demonstrated in FIGS. 1-9, the beltportion 4 and the plurality of holes 8 allows the food holder to securefood items of various sizes. The container portion 2 and the bottomsurface 2 d can be flexible to accommodate food items of various shapesand sizes, and it can conform to the shape of the food item.

The belt portion 4 is shown in FIG. 9 extending from the containerportion 2 in a way that is a continuation of the diameter of thehalf-circle of the container portion. However, the belt portion 4 canextend from the container portion 2 at any angle, such as in a tangentthat is perpendicular to the diameter, or in other words, a continuationof the circle of the container portion, which would allow the belt to bea smooth non-creased extension of the container portion.

The container portion 2 further includes a bottom surface 2 d as shownin FIG. 2. This bottom surface is referred to by 2 d from the exteriorside of the food holder as shown in FIG. 2. The bottom surface isreferred to by 2 g from the interior side of the food holder containeras shown in FIG. 3. This bottom support or surface 2 g is intended tokeep the food item in place and prevent the food item from slippingdown. The bottom support or surface 2 g is also intended to assist inkeeping the bottom contents of the food items secure and assembled,preventing them from falling out or leaking. This surface can be flatand semicircular as shown, but it could also be any shape that providessupport for the bottom of the food item, such as flat, curved, sphericalor conical, as well as semi-circular or fully-circular.

The container portion 2 includes a mechanism to connect and hold thebelt portion. The drawings illustrate this mechanism as a button offlange 2 b, attached by a stem 2 c to an outward curved or convexsurface 2 a as shown, for example, in FIG. 2. However, this mechanismcan be any such as including a button, hook, latch, magnetic,tension-based, hook-and-loop (Velcro (trademarked)), zip-tie also knownas cable-tie, or any mechanism that can securely hold the belt portionso that the belt and container portion can hold a food item. If themechanism is a button, the button can be of any shape including but notlimited to: circular, rectangular, T-shaped, or hook-like. The openings8 as shown in FIG. 2 are intended to be used in coordination with such amechanism, through which a button or similar mechanism is meant to befastened into.

In operation, a bottom portion of a food, such as a wrap or burrito, isplaced into the container portion 2 so that it sits on the bottomsurface 2 g shown in FIG. 3. The strap 6 of the belt portion is thenwrapped around the perimeter of the bottom portion of the food, as shownby FIG. 1, and the button 2 b in inserted through one of the openings 8,such as one of openings 8 a, 8 b, 8 c, 8 d, and 8 e. For example, inFIG. 1, the button, flange or protrusion 2 b has been inserted throughthe opening 8 e. The strap 6 of the belt portion 4 is typically made ofan elastic, stretchable material, so that the opening 8 e is forced toexpand by the button 2 b (which has a larger diameter than the opening 8e), allowing button 2 b to be forced through the opening 8 e, and intothe position shown in FIG. 1.

In the position of FIG. 1, the button 2 b is not in the opening 8 e, buthas been forced through the opening 8 e, so that the stem 2 c, or aportion of the stem 2 c sits in the opening 8 e. Thus the belt or strap6 of the belt portion 4 is held in a rolled state, orientation, andposition as shown in FIG. 1, by the button 2 b, until and unless, forceis applied to cause the opening 8 e to expand to allow the button 2 b togo back through the opening 8 e. The button 2 b can be forced throughany of the openings 8 a-8 f, to adjust to different size foods, such asdifferent size wraps or burritos to be held.

The openings 8 a, 8 b, 8 c, 8 d, 8 e, and 8 f can be of any size orshape, and can require force to push a button 2 b through. Generally, a“force to expand” is not required but may be an option. For example, theopenings can be larger than the button 2 b and differently shaped thanthe button 2 b so the directionality or tension keeps the button securedand fastened. There can also be any number of openings as required bythe type of mechanism and intended sizes of food items to accommodate.

In FIG. 2, the container portion 2 illustrates a flange or rim 2 e. InFIG. 3, the interior of the container 2 illustrates a flange 2 h. Suchflanges, rims, or texturing/ribbing can be included for structuralreasons to improve durability or performance of the food holder duringmanufacturing or operation. Texturing or ribbing can also improve theability of the food holder to grip the food item, and also could helpusers to hold the food holder in their hands. Such flanges, rims,texturing or ribbing can also depend on factors such as manufacturing,materials, aesthetics and operation of the food holder. Such rims,flanges, ribbing or texturing can be added to various edges or surfacesof the food holder. Rims, flanges, ribbing or texturing can be ofvarious thickness and lengths, from a subtle texturing/embossing to morepronounced ribbing or flanges. These flanges are optional and are notlimited to the location, quantity and illustration of this embodiment.It is demonstrated in FIGS. 1-9 on the bottom edge 2 e of containerportion 2, as well as on the top of the interior of container portion 2in flange 2 h, but can also be on any portion of the container 2 (insideor outside), or on the band 4, or on any part of the inside or outsidesurfaces, or edges.

Although the invention has been described by reference to particularillustrative embodiments thereof, many changes and modifications of theinvention may become apparent to those skilled in the art withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the invention. It is thereforeintended to include within this patent all such changes andmodifications as may reasonably and properly be included within thescope of the present invention's contribution to the art.

We claim:
 1. An apparatus comprising: a belt portion having a first end and an opposing second end; and a container portion attached to the belt portion.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the container portion is attached to the first end of the belt portion.
 3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the container portion includes a cavity configured to accommodate a food item.
 4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the belt portion includes a strap having a first attachment device; and the container portion includes a second attachment device which is configured to attach to the first attachment device of the belt portion to attach a section of the belt portion between the first end and the opposing second end to the container portion.
 5. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein the first attachment device is an opening in the strap; and the second attachment device is a protrusion for inserting through the opening of the strap.
 6. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein the container includes a bottom surface, and a peripheral wall. 7.The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the peripheral wall has a substantially semicircular shape.
 8. A method comprising inserting a food item into a container portion of an apparatus; and wherein the apparatus includes the container portion and a belt portion; and wherein the belt portion includes a second end which opposes the first end.
 9. The method of claim 8 further comprising attaching a first attachment device of the belt portion to a second attachment device of the container portion to attach a section of a belt portion to the container portion, while the first end of the belt portion is attached to the container portion; and wherein the section is between the first end and the opposing second end.
 10. The method of claim 8 wherein the container portion includes a cavity that is configured to accommodate the food item.
 11. The method of claim 9 wherein the first attachment device is an opening in the strap; the second attachment device is a protrusion for inserting through the opening of the strap.
 12. The method of claim 10 wherein the container includes a bottom surface, and a peripheral wall.
 13. The method of claim 12 wherein the peripheral wall has a substantially semicircular shape. 